Hope is Comforting
by Return of Yagami Iori
Summary: Another repost due to the deletion of my old name. This is a slightly AU story about Yunalesca-sama. It's kinda angsty.
1. The Star

Hope is Comforting  
  
By Yagami Iori  
  
(A/N: I love Lady Yunalesca! She's like the anti-Yuna, and so she cancels out Yuna's stupidity. Her voice is so smooth, and she makes the most sense out of anyone in the game. When you kill her, it's like you're killing the Pope. She actually holds that much power over people. Power is sexy. Plus, she's the hottest thing this side of Yevon besides Lulu. Unfortunately, she has little to no character development. Uh-oh. I feel a fic coming on! Remember, however, that this takes place during Yunalesca's life, which means that the Guado are savages, Sin does not exist, and machina is commonplace. Also, this mostly stems from my imagination. They don't tell us ANYTHING about Yunalesca's time. The women's rights issues I added because I make parallels between Yevon and the Catholic Church, both of whom I despise. ^_~ Enjoy!)  
  
Comfort is a luxury... And one that I could not afford. As a child, I was precocious. I was forced by my father to learn the Teachings, rather than lead the life of a normal girl. I excelled in my studies, even though girls were not allowed to learn the arts of Yevon. Only men could be priests or Maesters. I did not understand why I had to learn, and my father, Clarius, explained it thus: "Most women are weak. You, my child, shall grow strong. You will prove the Maesters wrong."  
  
And I did. When I was sixteen, I left my home as a Summoner. No one knew of my pilgrimage but my father, myself, and my guardian, Riva. She wanted to be a summoner, but became a guardian when she was rejected by Yevon. Riva thought that if I succeeded in attaining the Aeons of Spira, I could convince the Maesters that women should be accepted into the fold of Yevon. She did not live to see it. In Macalania, she was crushed by a Chimera. I sent her without a word. I felt that I had no need for another guardian. I had already bested Riva in terms of power, and my magical potential was growing rapidly.  
  
After I had attained the three Magus Sisters from the Temple of Remiem, I returned to Bevelle. There, I proved the strength of women by defeating Maester Lokram in a Summoner's duel. The Maesters were shocked by this display of power, especially from a woman. This rocked the foundations of their beliefs. They questioned the words of the immortal Yu Yevon.  
  
I was named Maestrix of Bevelle. Under my commands, women were welcome to the priesthood. I then sat back to enjoy the first comfort I had experienced in my life: the rulership of Bevelle.  
  
Bevelle was a grand city of machina. The priests held power over the "developing" villages, the ones who had no machina and could not fend for themselves. The only problem... was Zanarkand. Zanarkand was certainly a problem. It had sided with the savage Guado tribe in their battle with our allies, the Ronso. The simplest plan was to destroy Zanarkand. Sin's birth took care of that.  
  
Sin was a creature spawned by the immortal Yu Yevon. How, or for what puropse? We did not know. It was safe to say, however, that it was our ally, at least for now. It had destroyed the infidels of Zanarkand, and given us our power back. There, among the wreckage of Zanarkand, I met Zaon.  
  
Zaon was the sole survivor of Sin's attack on Zanarkand. He was the son of Zanarkand's mayor, Miren. The man was gloriously handsome, and his strong yet frightened expression touched my heart. I secreted Zaon away with me, and took him to my palace in Bevelle. There, I kept him as a servant and consort. However, slowly but surely, my feelings for him developed past simple lust.  
  
Sin was becoming a problem. It had attacked the city of Baaj, one of Bevelle's allies. Sin had sunk Baaj below the sea, and there were no survivors of the gruesome slaughter. One only had to venture into those waters to see the bodies of men, women, and children floating amongst the debris.  
  
I went to the Temple at Zanarkand. It was the only place in Zanarkand that had not fallen into ruin. There, I prayed to the immortal Yu Yevon. I asked him why he had brought Sin upon us, and how I could stop it. Words came back to me: Choose your Fayth.  
  
I did not know what this meant. I had already met the Fayth of the Temples. The Fayth of Bevelle Palace held no Aeonic power. It did not matter to me at the time. Not yet. I had more pressing matters to attend to. My servant Zaon and I were to be married. It was thought to be an odd choice on my part, but I persevered past the whispered jeers. I did not want another summoner. I wanted Zaon. It did not matter that he was a servant. It did not matter that he was from Zanarkand.  
  
The wedding proceeded as planned. On my wedding night, the immortal Yu Yevon came to me in my dreams. He told me to bring Zaon with me to the Temple of Zanarkand. I did as he commanded, and we entered the Chamber of the Fayth. There, the voice spoke to us: To defeat Sin, the Summoner must turn someone with which they have a bond into a Fayth. When the Summoner uses the Aeon of that Fayth, he or she will die, and their life-force will kill Sin.  
  
I knew that Sin would soon destroy Bevelle if it was not stopped. I was willing to sacrifice my life to destroy it. Zaon told me that he could not live without me, and so he would become my Fayth. When I performed the incantation, I couldn't help myself from crying. I broke into a sob as Zaon froze, as stiff as a statue. And then, he sang to me. It was a glorious song. It was the Song of the Fayth.  
  
I summoned his Aeon. It was a formidable sight. He rose from a droplet of water, his dorsal fin reaching the heavens. His serpentine, scaled form rose above me, and at once I knew his Aeonic name. "Leviathan," I whispered.  
  
Leviathan and I left Zanarkand and traveled to a deserted plain near Macalania. There, Sin appeared to me. I used Leviathan's full power, and a tsunami headed for Sin. The waves rose above the being, and the surf crashed at its fins. Then, the full brunt of the attack hit. Sin writhed in agony as I raised my arms skyward. Zaon's bond with me reacted, and Leviathan became a creature of energy. His power coursed through my veins, and I delivered the final blow to Sin.  
  
Now, I grow weary. My heart, with my body, has grown cold. I am no more than an icy figurine, an animated corpse, still beautiful, still young. But I exist. I exist to give hope to Spira. Without hope, the people, my people, will not survive. It is my duty to sit here, on my throne of gold and jewels, in Zanarkand, the City of the Dead. Because hope is comforting. And comfort is what Spira needs.  
  
~Owari~  
  
(A/N: ;_; I know, sad. But Lady Yunalesca is a tragic figure. Her mind has been tainted by power and the principles of Yevon. I'm... going to... *sob*... cry. Anyway, what do you think? This is a product of too much caffeine and about 5 battles with Yunalesca before it occurred to me that I should [a] remove my armor with Zombie Ward, and [b] equip armor with Dark Ward. Mega-Death hurts. But, you know, I always wondered how come it works on Auron... Whatever. Stupid continuity! If you're depressed now, go read The Race of a Lifetime. It's my humor ficcy! ^_~) 


	2. The Fool

Hope is Comforting  
  
By Yagami Iori  
  
A/N: Careful! Spoilers for Zanarkand! I love Yunalesca too much, so I had to write more. Also, I created a calendar of Yevon. I just thought you might like to know, as months are mentioned occasionally in some of my fics. ^_^  
  
January: Shiva  
  
February: Ramuh  
  
March: Leviathan  
  
April: Siren  
  
May: Diablos  
  
June: Yojimbo  
  
July: Ifrit  
  
August: Valefor  
  
September: Bahamut  
  
October: Hades  
  
November: Ixion  
  
December: Anima  
  
Chapter Two: The Fool  
  
It was a cold day in the month of Ramuh. I sat upon my throne, watching three travelers make their way through my Cloister of Trials. When they completed the first test, the room of puzzles, the glyphs on my elevator shone brightly, and my guardian, the Spectral Keeper, rose from the depths of my chamber. She was a morbidly beautiful creature, with scythe-like hands and a snaky lower region, floating suspended by my magic.  
  
The tallest man was called Braska. He was the summoner. His elaborate red robes contrasted with his long, navy blue hair, which was braided into plaits that reached his knees. The second man was named Jecht. His shaggy, tousled hair reached his shoulders, and his bare shoulders showed his years of exercise. He fought with a blitzball, a toy that was not oft-regarded as a weapon. The last man was named Auron. He was intriguing. His muscled frame was not unlike Zaon's, and his face was handsome and smooth. He fought with a broadsword, with one arm tucked under his coat.  
  
The Spectral Keeper swooped at Braska first. Braska dodged, and quickly summoned his most powerful Aeon, Siren. Siren was beautiful, a creature of loveliness. Her pale silver hair was shoulder-length and spiked at the bottom, and at the sides of her head, it blossomed into snowy wings. Another set of white wings sprouted from her back, contrasting well with her smooth chocolate skin. She wore a boustier and short skirt of diamonds and opals, and clutched a silver lyre in her right hand. Before the Spectral Keeper could react, Siren opened her silver lips and sang. It was a gospel, a requiem, a hymn of beauty. And as she sang to the heavens, the magical strumming of her lyre a countermelody, the ground shook. Waves of sound spiraled from her mouth, and the Spectral Keeper screamed, the sounds of her agony a perfect harmony to Siren's song.  
  
When the Aeon's onslaught was complete, the Spectral Keeper shook. She exploded into pyreflies, and I summoned them to me. The three travelers had passed the second test. The glyphs on my elevator merged, and my personal glyph shone in the platform. It was the outline of me, with a halo pressed above my head. It was time for the third test.  
  
I explained to them, atop the dome, about the Fayth of the Final Aeon. Braska thought that he could make Sin go away forever. He was ignorant. I did not disprove him, however. The man named Jecht decided to become the Fayth. His Zanarkand was unreachable. I did not want to tell him that it never existed. I could not bring myself to. I suppose I still had a trace of emotion then, though my heart had died nearly one thousand years before. Emotion took hold of me for one moment, and I felt a twinge of lust for the man in the red coat. Auron. He was so like Zaon.  
  
When Jecht stepped up to my throne, I began the incantation. Jecht froze then, encased in a bubble of energy. There were tears in Auron's eyes as he looked at the transformation. Of course, then I did not understand. The tanned man was now a statue, and I lowered him into the ground. There, Braska summoned his Aeon. The creature was a giant boar, with rainbow wings spreading from his sides. His mane was a colorful as the rainbow, and Braska whispered his name. "Kjata."  
  
Braska used Kjata to defeat Sin. When he died, he was named High Summoner. There had never been a post-mortis High Summoner before. Braska won the title because his defeat of Sin was the most glorious battle ever seen on the Calm Lands. Besides of course, mine. My battle was what caused that plain to be named the Calm Lands in the first place. I had decided to be more careful with the tests of the Summoner in Zanarkand's Cloister of Trials. I quickly destroyed the Fayth of Siren. With the Aeon gone, it would be harder to defeat my Spectral Keeper. I made the entryway into another puzzle. It would take a mastermind to pass through my trials now.  
  
It was four years later, in the month of Hades. Sin had resurfaced. My attendant, Glorion, told me that I had a visitor. I smiled. I could sense the arrival of the one who had stirred my heart. It was Auron. He confronted me then. He asked me why I had allowed Braska and Jecht to perish for no reason. I asked him why it mattered to him what happened to them. The tears began to flow from his face. Of course. Why had I not seen it before? Auron and Jecht were lovers. I smiled again, to myself. And in that instant, all last vestiges of humanity I had left were stripped from my body. Auron leapt forward to strike me. I lifted one hand, and it was done. His neck snapped crudely, blood pouring from his nose as he crumpled to the ground. I telekinetically moved his sword and positioned it above him. I blinked, and the blade plunged through his heart.  
  
He was a fool. There was no hope for him. 


	3. The Hanged Man

etHope Is Comforting  
  
By Yagami Iori  
  
A/N: More Yunalesca-sama goodness! If you haven't noticed, (which you probably haven't,) each chapter is named after a Major Arcana Tarot card. I know it's kinda obscure, but I get that creepy Dionne Warwick vibe from Yunalesca-sama. ^_^  
  
Chapter Three: The Hanged Man  
  
Auron had vanished from my Dome. Perhaps he had been devoured by a fiend, perhaps saved by a traveler. He would not be able to survive those wounds.  
  
It was a cold night when I next felt something close to emotion. A woman in robes of purple silk approached my Chamber. She brought with her a child of twelve or thirteen years of age. His blue hair and pronounced facial veins suggested Guado heritage, but he walked with the posture of a human. He whined and pulled at her dress, trying to take her from my presence.  
  
"What do you wish of me?" I asked the woman.  
  
She brought forth her arms in the prayer of Yevon, then spoke. "I am Anima, wife of Maester Jyscal Guado. This is my son, Seymour." Ah, so the boy was half-bred! An abomination of this sort should not have happened under the Immortal Yu Yevon's teachings. The woman motioned for her son to leave the Chamber of the Fayth, and then continued to adress me, "I sense your contempt for my child, Yunalesca-sama. Yevon knows, I loathe him, too. I loathe this life and all it entails. But perhaps I can ease his suffering. Make me a Fayth. He can use me to defeat Sin. Perhaps then, he will be welcomed as a person, rather than a circus freak."  
  
I smirked, feeling a bond with this woman. "And how do you think becoming a Fayth will solve your problems?"  
  
Anima fidgeted with her necklace before speaking. "I was raped, you know. By Jyscal, I mean. I... I didn't mean to get caught up in all of this! I tried to escape, but I was pregnant, and I was forced into a wedding. I want to escape from this... this pain!"  
  
"I cannot promise you deliverance," I told her. "Emotions can reflect themselves into Aeonic force. Pain can be powerful."  
  
"I... I just need release..." Anima cried. Her body was wracked with sobs, her petite frame shaking in the cold lights of Zanarkand. "Help me, Yunalesca-sama. Heal me!"  
  
I almost felt sorry for her. She was doomed. Even my dark magic could not help her now. I led her to the central chamber, and there began the incantation.  
  
"Ii a yume  
  
Yo-ou me-erou"  
  
The Fayth of Zanarkand sang in the moonlight, and I danced, twirling about in the Ceremony of the Fayth. Anima's knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor. Her screams were silenced by the sound of rattling chains. I watched as her flesh tore away, leaving her a disfigured mess. Bandages swirled around her head, fastening to the truly intense wounds. Two large metal wings rose from the ground, their sharp edges piercing her skin roughly. She groaned as her skeletal arms were bound across her chest. Her necklace, a ceremonial Guado ornament, grew into a collar. Large spines sprouted from atop her head, and her unearthly screams shook the dome.  
  
I could hear her crying out to me, her voice in my mind. "This is not what I wanted! I wanted absolution!"  
  
I tried to feel pity. It has been so long since I have truly felt anything. But at least, for a moment, Anima felt hope. And perhaps that brought her some momentary comfort.  
  
~Owari~  
  
A/N: Okay, Nobody is reviewing this ;_; I want feedback. Anyway, I'm trying to get more descriptive, and I think it's working. The next chapter will be longer, I promise! ^_~ Ja ne! 


	4. The High Priestess

Hope is Comforting  
  
By Yagami Iori  
  
A/N: If this goes well, there may be 22 chapters to this. I want to go through all of the Major Arcana Tarot Cards. Also, I'm pretty sure that I'm writing the Fayth song wrong, but this is as close as I can get by listening to it! Does anyone have the real lyrics?  
  
Chapter Four: The High Priestess  
  
I shivered with the cold of the starry night. I had an intense feeling of dread. Pyreflies swirled through the skies of Zanarkand, and the Fayth sang into the night:  
  
"Ii A Yui  
  
Nobou Merou  
  
Lee Midii  
  
Youjuu Youdou  
  
Hasa deka nare  
  
Uta mare"  
  
My attendant Glorion, came to call me. I cast off my robes of scarlet silk, and dressed in my ceremonial garb. Looking down at my top and loincloth as I placed my tiara atop my head, I wondered why I must wear such scant clothing in a place as cold as Zanarkand. It was always done that way, I supposed.  
  
When I exited my Chamber to the foyer, I saw that a party had defeated my Spectral Keeper. I looked over this rag-tag ensemble. Through my magic, I saw into their mind as if through a window. Tidus, the one from Zanarkand. He was the son of Jecht, the last Fayth of Yu Yevon. Yuna, the Summoner. Daughter of Braska, the last liberator of Sin. Lulu, the Black Magus who had served Father Zuke and Lady Ginnem. Wakka, the brother of Chappu, a crusader killed by Jecht in Sin's form. Kimahri, the last Ronso of Gagazet. Rikku, the future leader of the Al Bhed.  
  
As I looked to see who the last member of the group was, I tried not to gasp. It was Auron. Auron, my almost-lover, whom I had murdered six years before. And then it hit me. I had not sent him. He was like me now. I smiled, for the first time since I had met Anima Guado.  
  
I spoke to the party. I told them of the Final Aeon, and that Yuna must choose her Fayth. When asked if Sin would come back, I told them yes. I no longer had the compassion to lie to these whelps. Lulu and Wakka argued with me. They were both very devout followers of the immortal Yu Yevon. The misguided fools. Hope was the true hero of Spira.  
  
But Yuna would not listen to me. She said that she would destroy the old traditions. I simply chuckled.  
  
"You poor creature. You would live without hope. Well... better to die in hope than to live in despair. Let me be your liberator!"  
  
I chanted the magic Hymn of the Fayth, and I attacked them. It had been too long since I had fought. That was my mistake. Auron struck me down.  
  
I quickly chanted more powerful magic. I called upon the strength of the Fayth. Snaky tentacles shot up from the ground, lifting me to the heavens as I attacked my foes below. I zombified them, but Yuna used Holy Water to heal the ailment. Silly girl. She would be the first to die. Or would she? After Yuna healed Lulu, the dark sorceress unleashed an Overdrive attack; a flurry of Blizzagas.  
  
My tentacles buckled. I began to fall, but not before I pulled my trump card. I summoned my most powerful Aeon, Medusa. Her bloodcurdling shrieks filled the dome as she rose from the depths of Hell. I sat upon her snaky tendrils of hair, summoning the Reaper when necessary to destroy them. I was winning the fight until Yuna summoned Shiva. Shiva... one of my greatest creations. Her exquisite icy frame was surpassed only by my own curvaceous figure. My hideous Medusa stared at this creature of beauty. And then Shiva unleashed her Overdrive.  
  
All I remember of that moment is the cold. The unbearable cold of my entire body being sheathed in thick, diamondlike ice. With a relaxed snap of her fingers, Shiva released the powers, sending shards of ice slicing into my tender flesh. Medusa exploded into pyreflies, her powers lost to me.  
  
It was cold then. And as I lay dying for the second time, I wondered if I, or Spira, would ever again feel a flutter of hope.  
  
~OWARI~  
  
A/N: Don't worry, this isn't the end! Stay tuned for the continuing story of Yunalesca post-game. ^_~ 


	5. Death

Hope is Comforting  
  
By Yagami Iori  
  
A/N: To my anonymous reviewer: I didn't know that Yunalesca was Yu Yevon's daughter until I started writing, so I changed the backstory. Yunalesca is NOT the daughter of Yu Yevon, and she did not start the tradition of the Final Aeon. I find the story is more interesting that way, in a slow- corruption sort of way. It's fanfiction, so I stray just a teeny bit from game continuity. Thanks for the nitpick, though.  
  
Chapter Five: Death  
  
Cold. Cold like Shiva's ice. Cold like the barren streets of Zanarkand. But, unlike Zanarkand, there were no pyreflies to lead my way. I was enveloped in darkness. Suspended, I could not scream, could not speak, could not shout. I was crucified in a dark prison of cold pain.  
  
Where was the joy and heaven of the Farplane? I was lost in this endless black Limbo. I could not even see my own form. Was this to be my existence forever? Was this death?  
  
I deserved Limbo, I suppose. I was the daughter of hatred, priestess of Yu Yevon, creator of the Fayth. Perhaps in their cold stone prisons, they too felt as lost as I.  
  
I wondered if Zaon, too, was encompassed in this dark world. I thought back to our wedding night, when he had told me that no other woman would ever catch his eye. I thought of his joy at the news that I might be pregnant. Even when that was disproven, he still was happy that I was happy. We lived together in love and joy. Now, we were dead together in pain and despair.  
  
I thought of my guardian, Riva. Her long red-gold hair reaching her waist, her green armor shining in the light of the sun. When I received Ramuh in Djose Temple, decades before the creation of Ixion, she jumped with glee. I pictured her defending me from fiends, fighting them back with her rapier and flail. When she died, the emptiness began to creep into my soul. Was Riva too like this? Lost in darkness?  
  
I thought of my student, Belgemine. She died on Gagazet, en route to meet me at my dome in Zanarkand. I had been dead for 500 years when I took her under my wing. She showed great promise, but she was too eager. She attacked Sin before she was ready, and lost. Her self-esteem was forever damaged. Poor girl. Perhaps she was right next to me, unable to move, to speak. Perhaps all I had known was now here, in this blackness.  
  
I tried to sing, to chant, to summon. No reply met me. I cried then, for the first time in 1000 years. I did not know if there were actual tears in that dark realm, but I cried nonetheless. I cried for all I had had, all I had lost, all I would never have. I resigned myself to eternity in the void.  
  
Hope was lost here. It could not penetrate the dark. 


	6. The Moon

Hope is Comforting  
  
By Yagami Iori  
  
A/N: Okay, I want feedback now. ;_; I know, I'm needy. Anyhoo, spoilers for the end of the game as we continue post-game. Oh, and I gave Yuna a last name. It's "Azuremoon". Some of the other characters will have last names too, because they're kinda not real people without surnames.  
  
Chapter Six: The Moon  
  
Who knows how many ages had passed in that cold prison? I do not know how long I hovered in the darkness, until I eventually saw a pinprick of light. It nearly blinded me, after my eyes had become used to the darkness. I concentrated towards the light, poured my soul into its glint, and I felt myself begin to move.  
  
The light widened into a hole in the dark, and then widened into a hole large enough to move through. I flew through into the brilliance of the light, landing on the warm ground. I lifted my head skyward, my eyes adjusting to the sun. I lay on a beach, nude and vulnerable. As I stopped to ponder my current situation, I saw a woman walking on the hill above me. I called out to her, and she turned.  
  
"You poor girl. Come with me. I'll fetch you some clothes. I am Vilucha."  
  
I followed Vilucha to her hut, as she threw a towel around me to cover my nakedness. When we entered Besaid Village, I was startled at the changes. The Crusader's Lodge was now an orphanage, and the immortal Yu Yevon's temple had been torn down, replaced by a town hall.  
  
"What has happened to this place?" I asked Vilucha.  
  
"Do you not know? Sin is gone forever! We have no need for Yevon or the Crusaders," she replied.  
  
I was aghast at this statement. And then I realized that I was truly able to FEEL aghast. I was most certainly alive.  
  
"What do you do?" I asked.  
  
"I am the star blitzball player of the Besaid Aurochs!" she smiled, proudly. "Our best player was a man named Tidus, from the dreams of the Fayth. He was Maestrix Yuna's lover. When Yuna destroyed Sin and Yevon, he faded away when she sent the Fayth to the Farplane."  
  
I wondered if the defeat of the immortal Yu Yevon could be that catalyst for my release from death. After she dressed me in some of her spare clothing, Vilucha continued talking: "Maestrix Yuna lives here right now while they make some improvements to Bevelle. Since she arrived, people have started to appear on these beaches, much like yourself. I will bring you to her."  
  
I balked. Surely my killer would recognize me! I resisted, but then figured that if anyone knew what was going on, it would be my namesake, Yunalesca Azuremoon, newly crowned Maestrix of Bevelle.  
  
We arrived at the site of Besaid Temple, and entered the new building there. I stood in the entryway, and Vilucha and I waited for the attendants to call on Yuna. The head of the attendants, Lulu Ravenlace, cleared her throat loudly and adressed the hall. "Courtiers and Courtesans, the Maestrix of Bevelle, Lady Yunalesca Azuremoon!"  
  
Yuna strolled hurriedly down the stairs, her young age offsetting her regal appearance, dressed in blue robes with sapphire jewelry. Her right eye was as blue as the sky, and her left eye was as green as the sea.  
  
When she saw me, she gasped. "Lady Yunalesca! So, another soul departs from the Farplane." I appeared confused at this, so she continued, dismissing Vilucha, who left the building. "Come with me, Lady Yunalesca. I have three people I think you'd like to see." She smiled at me, her eyes forgiving. I welcomed them.  
  
We left the main hall and entered a large chamber. There, dressed in Besaid peasant's clothes, were the three people I longed to see the most. My guardian Riva, my student Belgemine...  
  
And my love, Zaon.  
  
~OWARI~  
  
A/N: Ohmigosh! They've come back to life! Spooooooky! ^_~ Why are they back? Stay tuned to find out! 


End file.
